Gargamel Cast

According to Entertainment Weekly, the longtime Simpsons voice actor will portray the evil wizard Gargamel in the hybrid live-action/CG-animated Smurfs movie. Gargamel will be a live-action character. EW adds that Glee's Jayma Mays has also been cast as the pregnant wife of Neil Patrick Harris' character.

EW says the film "centers on the happy expectant couple's lives being turned upside-down upon meeting these blue creatures. The movie will take place in New York City's Central Park and is set to begin production next month."

You may recall that Gargamel was out to get the Smurfs so that he could either use them in a potion to create gold, or simply to eat them. His quest to find Smurf Village was a key part of the 1980s cartoon series, and he was also the creator of Smurfette (to be voiced in the film by singer Katy Perry).

In addition to his many voiceover roles on The Simpsons (which include Moe the Bartender and Apu from the Kwik-E-Mart), Azaria has appeared in such live-action films as Heat, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Shattered Glass, Tuesdays with Morrie, Mystery Men, Godzilla and The Birdcage.